Physiotherapy
4–5 years + internship- You study
- Movement anatomy, Therapeutic exercise
- Jobs
- Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation specialist
- Average for the health field · Age 25–29
- 10,500SAR
Average monthly pay in the health field for Saudi bachelor’s holders, GASTAT Labour Force Survey 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3; many earn less. Pay in a first job is usually lower.
Forecasts published in other countries for the occupation Physiotherapists: leaning to growth (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH); Employment and Social Development Canada, June 2025 · Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 – Muharram 1447 AH)1,2. They are not a forecast for the Saudi market, nor by DataPulse.
Where is Physiotherapy taught?
Taught at 20 universities: 17 government and 3 private.
Riyadh
- King Saud UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Majmaah UniversityGovernment
- Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityGovernment · women
- Shaqra UniversityGovernment · men
Makkah
- King Abdulaziz UniversityGovernment
- Taif UniversityGovernment
- Umm Al-Qura UniversityGovernment
- Batterjee Medical CollegePrivate · men and women
Madinah
- Taibah UniversityGovernment · men
Qassim
- Qassim UniversityGovernment · men and women
- Buraydah Private CollegesPrivate · men and women
Eastern Province
- Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityGovernment
- Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical SciencesPrivate
Asir
- King Khalid UniversityGovernment · men and women
Tabuk
- University of TabukGovernment
Hail
- University of HailGovernment
Jazan
- Jazan UniversityGovernment · men and women
Najran
- Najran UniversityGovernment · men and women
Al-Jouf
- Jouf UniversityGovernment · men and women
From university pages, admission guides and the Ministry’s Study in Saudi platform4. Gender is tagged where the university publishes it per programme.
Compare with…
A side-by-side view, not a judgement that one major is better. Figures are for the broad field, so two majors in one field share the same figures. Figures: bachelor’s, both sexes, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)35
| Physiotherapy | Medicine | Audiology |
|---|---|---|
| Field in the survey | ||
| Health and welfare | Health and welfare | Health and welfare |
| Length of study | ||
| 4–5 years + internship | 6 years + internship | 4 years + internship |
| Taught at | ||
| 20 universities | 36 universities | 3 universities |
| Men | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Women | ||
| Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Holders of the field working | ||
| 93.5% | 93.5% | 93.5% |
| Unemployment in the field | ||
| 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| Average wage in the field (SAR) | ||
| 12,437 | 12,437 | 12,437 |
| An occupation of its graduates and generative AI | ||
| — | — | — |
Availability for men and women from university pages and the Ministry’s programmes platform; last checked 24 October 2026 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
What do Physiotherapy students learn?
Treating injuries and muscle and joint pain using exercises and assistive devices.
- Movement anatomy
- Therapeutic exercise
- Orthopaedic therapy
- Rehabilitation
In Arabic: العلاج الطبيعي
How many years is Physiotherapy?
4–5 years, then an internship year (training after the degree). The length may differ between universities depending on the foundation year.
What jobs do Physiotherapy graduates do?
Examples of graduates’ jobs, not a full or ranked list. A job is an occupation; the major is one route to it:
- Physiotherapist
- Rehabilitation specialist
- Sports therapist
- Therapeutic fitness coach
Hospital or therapy centre, mostly by day; physical effort with patients.
- Sometimes shifts
- High physical effort
Professional classification and registration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
What do Physiotherapy graduates earn?
GASTAT does not publish pay for each major; this is the average for the “Health and welfare” field among Saudi bachelor’s holders, 2024 (1445–1446 AH)3.
What is unemployment in the health field?
Unemployment among Saudi graduates of the field (bachelor’s, all ages)3:
For the whole field, not this major alone. Past measurement, not a forecast.
Official decisions and signals
- The private sector must have Saudis in: radiology 65%, laboratories 70%, nutrition 80%, physiotherapy 80%. in force since October 2025 (Rabi' al-Akhir – Jumada al-Ula 1447 AH) (binds firms, not individuals)6
- The job “Physiotherapist” is only slightly affected by AI. May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH) (occupation, not major)7
- A goal of the Health Sector Transformation Program is to provide enough doctors, nurses and health practitioners (no number given). October 2021 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1443 AH) (announced target)8
References
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment projections for “Physical therapists” (BLS 29-1123), 2025–2035 (1446–1457 AH).
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System, “Physiotherapists” (COPS 31202), 2024–2033 (1445–1455 AH).
- General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Labour Force Survey: Saudi bachelor’s holders in “Health and welfare”, 2024 (1445–1446 AH).
- Programme pages on university websites, last checked 26 October 2026 (15 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AH).
- International Labour Organization, global index of occupational exposure to generative AI, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- Ministry of Human Resources, 16 October 2024 (13 Rabi' al-Akhir 1446 AH).
- International Labour Organization · occupation code 2264, May 2025 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH).
- Health Sector Transformation Program, 5 October 2021 (28 Safar 1443 AH).